#max roby

Brass and Sara

I love them. I’ve missed them. They both look so great and have only deepened into their old characters. To wit: “I could really use your help” = Sara does a six hour drive in five hours and then busts his chops for not telling her sooner about his diminishing eyesight. Brass’ comment to Sara that he’s glad she can’t tell if he’s joking says volumes. He’s not sure of where he stands, and until he does, he’s sure as hell not going to let anyone else try to tell him. Classic Brass.

Sara has not changed one bit in character, but she’s clearly more relaxed and enjoying her life. Her line about realizing she wasn’t meant to live in two places at once says so much. The little kid who bounced from home to home has finally found her own, and it’s wherever she and Grissom are together. That’s the order of priority.

I’ve headcanoned that Brass’ suite at the Eclipse is Catherine’s personal suite and workspace there. It would make sense for her character to offer it to Brass for as long as he needs. I’ve no doubt she heard about the attack within the hour, whatever time zone she was in. She and Sara would also be reassured that Brass would have any personal assistance he might need, while still being as independent as he chooses. In fact I’d extend this to Catherine TELLING Brass he is going to stay there as her guest until more long-term arrangements can be made, since apparently his old house isn’t secure.

 Meet the New Crew:

Character-intro expositions are always a little klunky, but I think they were handled about as well as could be done. Joshua Fulsom’s intensity and apparently broad set of hyperfocus interests makes him a standout – his aura is pervasive and much larger than his understated, physical space-minimizing delivery. Every crime show needs a human encyclopedia, and Fulsom is a strong candidate. He’s got that dedicated-young-cop-too-serious-for-his-age thing going on that makes me wonder when he last had a good hot meal, and if he would ever stop beating himself up for a minor mistake.

Wide-eyed Allie is just excited to have been picked for the team, bless her. She’s bright and quick where Fulsom is deliberate and thoughtful, she’s clearly on top of the latest research and eager to please, and she responds to positive reinforcement like a deprived grad student. Luckily, this kind of support is Max’ forte. It’s interesting that she seems to occupy a more central role than she realizes – everyone comes to her for information, and her words are often the ones that spark conversations. Though that’s also the kind of role-conflation that CSI is known for: she’s doing the work of about six separate specialists that I could count. As an Indo-Brit myself, I am effing delighted to see some actual representation of the gajillions of us in Forensics. Not sure about the Allie/Folsom ex-tension thing though.

Coroner Hugo reminds me of the original crew the most. I think Jorja said it best, that the team are all sort of cartoonish, with strong, simple character outlines, cartoonish names and not a lot of nuance. Hugo is…not subtly written in terms of his Domain, his adoration of old Doc Robbins, and filling the autopsy suite with beautiful paintings of his own creation. I like him, though, and I like that he openly embraces his various facets and sees a fellow to respect in Allie.

Chris the Office Gossip is also not particularly complex, but good fun. He’s the guy you want to have lunch with now and then but have to remember to be careful around. Generally harmless. The type that, once he’s older, will have a lifetime of stories from everyone he’s talked to, and be a repository of local history.

And Max! Yes, we hear a lot about Max’ character background, which could come off as anvils, but Paula weaves it into Max’s welcoming, maternal persona. We do learn…rather a lot about her. Unlike Brass and Grissom, Max is the product of a new generation, in which what used to be disparaged as “soft skills” are now the basis of strong and supportive management. Grissom knew that if you want innovation and educated risks to lead to results, you need to trust your people’s skills and back them up. While Grissom was often chastised for his loose-reins approach, Max and her team now benefit from it. I love that Max gives Brass verbal clues so casually, (“I’m here with Allie Rajan, a Level II CSI”), thinking ahead to things he might not see clearly. Sara’s visible surprise at Max’ warm welcome and lack of jurisdictional gatekeeping were hilarious, especially as a coda to her first chilly meeting with Catherine. From “If you think you're taking my case ... forget it” to “Saddle, up, Sis!”